Overhead trolley system



Nov. 16, 1937. a S MATTHES 2,099,494

OVERHEAD TROLLEY SY S TEM Filed Feb. 12, 1956 9 Patented Nov. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES Parana crater.

QVERHEAD TROLLEY SYSTEM Application February 12, 1936, Serial No. 63,570

2 Claims.

My invention relates to overhead trolley systems adapted particularly for use in the operation of trolley buses.

The object of my invention is to provide at crossings particularly a construction which is more adapted to the overhead system herein contemplated than that which has been employed in the past.

In a trolley bus system there are two trolley wires employed of opposite polarity and it is necessary to keep these polarities separated electrically at points of'crossing of one conductor with the other, and. at such points of crossing it is quite difficult to maintain the wires in a predetermined relation to give the best operation without the use of many anchoring and supporting cables.

In my invention the parts composing the crossing, especially where a branch of one conductor may cross the other, are positively held in a fixed relation.

It is practically necessary to maintain the overhead system in a predetermined fixed relation due to the fact that the trolley heads supporting the current collectors are mounted inde pendent of each other and might be said to be movable in all directions relative to each other and the bus at the same time is free to move laterally in either direction relative to the overhead conductors, which is not true of a street car, therefore, great accuracy must be used in the manufacture of overhead materials for trolley buses and also in their installation and maintenance for proper operation of the trolley heads relative to the overhead construction.

The system herein described may be employed not only in the operation of trolley buses, but also for the operation of a street car in which the negative wire is usually grounded, and the positive conductor is located above the track on which the street car runs. My invention resides. in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the parts herein described and shown in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:-

Fig. 1 is a schematic view looking down upon my invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 looking toward the side in which the frog A is located.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of Fig. 1 looking toward the side in which the frog B and crossing C are located.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged bottom view of the frogs A and B. v

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the crossing C.

Fig. 6 is a detachable conducting bar which connects the frog A and crossing C.

Fig. '7 is a side view of the approach arms on the switches and crossing.

Fig. 8 is an end view of Fig. 7.

It has been usual in the past, where one conductor crosses another in overhead trolley work, to connect the crossing and switch or frog pans by means of trolley wire which is employed as the conductor in the overhead system. This is not found to be entirely satisfactory for trolley bus operation where there are two parallel conductors and one or more branch conductors, as it is difiicult and expensive to maintain the parts in fixed relation as already pointed out, but by making the switches and crossings and the connecting parts such that the parts form a'substantially unitary device, the above diificulty is overcome. I i

To bring this about, the parts connecting the switches and also the parts connecting the switches and crossing should be of a substantial construction as, for instance, a rectangular bar of metal preferably positioned with one of its narrow edges to act as a conducting edge for'the current collector.

Also, it is desirable in view of the very many varieties of construction to be met with, to make the connecting parts separately formed and easily attached to or detached from the switches and .frogs.

In one form of the embodiment of my invention I show a case of two parallel conductors of opposite polarity and each having a branch conductor.

Such embodiment comprises switches or frogs A and B which may be of any of the suitable types on the market; however, I show one form in Fig. 4 which has a body or pan member and a pivoted tongue 2 which has two guide flanges 3 and 4 and a spring 5, as shown in Fig. 1, may be employed to position the tongue to either position for normal operation. The lever 6 associated with the tongue as shown in Fig. 1 may be used for changing the position of the tongues.

is termed a rigid form which has no moving parts and is quite satisfactory where the angle between the crossing wires is suificient. If the angle of crossing is suificiently small to interfere with the center construction of the pan and the operation of the trolley 'therethrough, then it is advisable to use a frog having a movable tongue.

The ends of the frogs and crossing may be formed with spaced lugs [0 which form the groove II and provided with openings I2 to receive the through-bolts l3. In order to fixedly and posi tively hold the crossing in fixed relation to the frogs, I employ a spacer M as shown in Fig. 6 or modifications thereof. The spacer is usually formed from a bar of metal either copper or iron, and of rectangular cross section. I prefer the rectangular cross section as it provides a rather narrow width in a horizontal direction and a narrow lower edge which does not interfere with the trolley shoe or wheel which it must conduct or guide from the switch to the crossing, or vice versa, and at the same time the greater dimension in a vertical direction stiifens the spacer and prevents sagging. V

The spacer is provided at each end with a securing lug 15 which may be formed separately of metal and welded, as at IE, to the bar 14. The lugs 15 are formed with openings ll, corresponding with the openings [2 in the frogs and crossing, and the lugs are of such dimension as to fit into the groove I l formed by the'lugs Ill, and whenthe bolts l3 are in place the spacer, frog and crossing are securely held together so far as the spacer I4 is concerned.

The arrangement for connecting the crossing C and frog B comprises a spacer l8 which is a duplicate of the spacer H, but I also' secure thereto a section insulator I9 which may be of any of'the standard insulators on the market but provided with end members having attachments similar to that shown in Fig. 7. Also, the connection between the crossing C and frog B is shown as provided with a short spacer 29..

On the opposite side of the crossing C from the spacer 20 is shown a short spacer 2| and an insu- 1ator'22.

The insulators l9 and 22 are necessary in order to keep the polarity of the conductors properly separated. By placing the insulators l9 and 22 as shown, two only are required to make the proper insulation of the polarities, while if placed at other points on the system, more might be required.

In order to maintain the frogs A and B in fixed spaced relation, I employ the insulating rods 23 and 24.

The insulating rod 1 insures simultaneous and uniform operation of the tongues 2 on both switches, and the spring 5 holds the tongues in their normal or predetermined position, that is, for the most frequent operation; Y

It will be appreciated that with the construction and the spacing bars as set forthpthat the frogs A and B and crossing C will operate as a unit.

It will also be appreciated that the spacers may be varied as to length, shape andcross section and thus provide a very flexible arrangement for making modifications, if necessary.

The frogs and crossing are provided with approach members 25 and to which trolley wires a, b, c, d, and e may be attached, and which do not have attached thereto the spacing bars. The trolley wire ,7, which is shown grounded as in the case of street car operation, is shown as connected to the section insulator 22.

If it is desired to provide a construction where two trolleys are employed for bus operation and the positive is employed for street car operation and it is desired to switch the street car at some point without providing facilities to also switch the bus, then the construction would be as shown in Fig. 1 excepting the frog B would be omitted.

Having described my invention and knowing that the disclosure will suggest modifications to those skilled in the art, I prefer to be limited only by my claims.

I claim:

1. An overhead trolley device for use in a two wire trolley system comprising a pair of spaced frogs having U shaped receiving ends, each end having spaced upstanding lugs with transverse registering openings to receive through fastening means, a crossover spaced from the frogs and having U shaped receiving ends each with upstanding spaced lugs with registering transverse openings to receive through fastening means, conducting means connecting one crossover end with a branch end'of one frog and insulating means connecting another end of the crossover 'to a main end of the other frog, each connecting means having its ends provided with a single projecting lug positioned between the lugs of the end to which it is attached and having transverse openings registering with the openings of the upstanding lugs, through means positioned in the openings to secure the parts together, the connecting means also having the vertical height thereof when installed greater than the width to permit bending in a horizontal direction but rigid in a vertical direction and the lower edge of the connecting means guiding a current collector off and onto the frogs and the crossover.

2. An overhead trolley device for use in a two wire trolley system comprising a pair of spaced frogs having U shaped receiving ends, each end having spaced upstanding lugswith transverse registering openings to receive through fastening means, a crossover spaced from the frogs and having U shaped receiving ends each with upstanding spaced lugs with registering transverse openings to receive through fastening means, a pair of connecting means, one connecting means extending from one end of the crossover to the branch end of one frog and the other connecting means extending from another end of the crossover to a main end of the other frog, each connecting means having its ends provided with a single projecting lug positioned between the lugs of the end to which it is attached and having transverse openings registering with the openings of the upstanding lugs, through means positioned in the openings to secure the parts together, the connecting means also having the vertical height thereof when installed greater than the width to 7 permit bending in a horizontal direction but rigid in a Vertical direction and the lower edge of the connecting means guiding a current collector off and onto the frogs and the crossover.

' SAMUEL S. MA'ITHESJ 

